Ice is not Nice
Why you should reconsider ice in your drinks and cold food in your diet.
Photo by Scott Rodgerson
Sure, an ice-cold drink on a hot summer’s day is one thing, but filling those drinks with ice all year round puts extra stress on your spleen
I don't know about you, but before I became a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, I was unaware of the spleen’s purpose and why it was important. I'm pretty sure we skipped over it in high school biology. Now that I have been enlightened, I want to spread the knowledge and share what I have learned.
TCM believes that the spleen transports and transforms food and fluids in the body to make blood, and blood carries Qi (energy) around the body.
The stomach and spleen are a paired system according to Chinese medicine. The stomach is responsible for breaking down the food using its’ digestive fire, also known as in western medicine as hydrochloric acid solution. The nutrients are taken to make nutritive Qi which is used for day-to-day energy. The spleen also takes the nutrients to make blood for the body. The blood is circulated with Qi around the body. The better these two vital substances flow around the body the better we feel, the more overall energy we have, and the better we heal!
Large amounts of cold foods and ice in our diet cause this fire to weaken! This means more energy is needed to digest the food and results in the spleen and stomach duo working less efficiently. This can cause you to feel sluggish in the mid-afternoon and craving a cat nap.. or a sweet treat pick-me-up!
When your spleen becomes sluggish and deficient. This stress is responsible for those sweet food cravings, which is your body's attempt to nourish the spleen and give you a quick surge of energy to get you through the day. The reverse effect can also occur if too many sweet foods are consumed, putting more stress on the spleen, as they have little nutrients for the body! A vicious cycle!
Adding ice to drinks, or having a cold diet causes your stomach and spleen to have to work twice as hard. No wonder you're left feeling extra tired. Room temperature beverages are the easiest for your body to process, leaving your stomach fire strong, healthy and able to break down foods efficiently, ultimately saving and conserving your daily energy!
Signs to look for if your spleen energy is deficient:
1. Tired even after a good night sleep
2. Experiences overthinking, especially when trying to fall asleep at night
3. Foggy headed and sluggish feeling
4. Exhausted, especially mid-afternoon about 2-3pm
5. Swollen tongue with teeth marks on the sides
6. Craves sweet foods often
7. Has trouble losing weight and gaining muscle
Luckily the stomach fire and the spleen energy can be nourished and tonified with Acupuncture and small changes to your diet! Talk to a TCM practitioner about nourishing your spleen and tips on how to include warm drinks and foods into your diet.
Love your TCM enthusiast <3